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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28312638">Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkribbon796/pseuds/Inkribbon796'>Inkribbon796</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Masks and Maladies [113]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Markiplier fandom - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood whimsy, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Whimsy, superhero au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:49:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28312638</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkribbon796/pseuds/Inkribbon796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The cold chill has fully descended upon Egoton and celebrations are due.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eric Derekson/Illinois, Ericilly, darkstache</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Masks and Maladies [113]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538131</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. White Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. I bring good tidings of fluff this year.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Lost Ones have their first Christmas with Wil and Dark, it’s as chaotic as every other part of their lives.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>~::~ 13 Years Ago ~::~</p><p>    Snow blanketed over the city and it was the first winter that all the Lost Ones had with Dark and Wilford.</p><p>    Typically Dark liked to start decorating the Manor around the second week and usually it was all done magically over the course of one night.</p><p>    He took a day to himself to stay in the Manor and get everything right and then while the kids were asleep. The tree and little ornaments went up first. Then the tinsel around the banister. A pine wreath hanging on the inside of the door, and little decorations strewn around the house. In one room was a well furnished Christmas village with a model steam train running through it. Dark had been collecting and building up the village over the last five years and within the next fifteen years would grow to incorporate all types of building that the Lost Ones, particularly Illinois would find and add to it. It even had a little small skeleton figurine that had a Christmas hat hidden somewhere within the village and the first person to find it without powers would get to put the star on the tree that year. And over the fireplace, which was lit by magic so it would burn and the kids could stick the hands in the fire without burning skin or needing to be fed every so often, was not three stockings, but eight stockings. Each with and initial on it and their names on the cuff so there was no confusion.</p><p>    The children would wake up to a holiday wonder and the adopted child would stare at it in awe.  Arthur would, after getting over the shock start eating the popcorn off the string decorations and Dark would replenish them. Kay would hold his chest, afraid to touch anything but as the month continued on Dark let him hold the little snow globes and even move around part of the village whenever he wanted.</p><p>    When Wil got home he and Arthur would play baseball with some of the dingy old, already half-broken ornaments.</p><p>    A week out from their first Christmas at the Manor, Yancy and Yan started to get excited. Wil was back wandering around the Manor trying to find something.</p><p>    Christmas Eve Yancy was bouncing and couldn’t stay still, he was looking at Dark who was sipping on some hot chocolate with a healthy dose of coffee mixed into it. The kids all had little mugs of hot cider for them to sip on. The base of the tree was still devoid of gifts but Dark knew that was about to change. He’d been planning gifts for them for months.</p><p>    “Santa’s coming?” Yancy asked in excitement.</p><p>    Arthur made an angry scoff, the young author talking around a sugar cookie, “Santa’s a dumb story adults make up to get kids to do what they want.”</p><p>    “Arthur,” Dark warned sharply. “Stop teasing him and chew with your mouth closed.”</p><p>    “No, he’s real,” Bim said as Yancy looked upset. “My dad shot him in foot last year and then hit him with a plastic deer.”</p><p>    “Santa’s real?” Illinois gasped, poking his head out above the banister. “Why hasn’t he ever given me presents?”</p><p>    Dark pulled out a long list of paper with each of his Lost One’s names on it and a long list of crimes that Dark had noticed just by watching the children: anxiety, anger issues, apprehension over Dark even being in their space. King’s was currently the longest one but Illinois wasn’t too far behind. From his already scant investigation his previous guardians could have more than afforded to toss at least one gift Illinois’s way.</p><p>    From up the stairs, Wilford was coming down with Illinois not far behind him. He had an old fashioned, flintlock shotgun in his hands as he walked up to the chimney, “Stand back kids, Daddy’s got this.”</p><p>    “Is it Santa?” Arthur asked, coming to stand next to his adopted father. “Is he real?”</p><p>    “Oh he’s very real,”  Wil promised. “But don’t worry that capricious bastard better show his face with some real gifts, or I’ll deck his halls.”</p><p>    “Wil,” Dark called out, a warning.”</p><p>    “What? He gives Bim coal,” Wilford scoffed. “Can you believe it? But don’t worry I won’t let him give any of you kids coal.”</p><p> <em> Your son’s a cannibal, of course he gets coal, </em>Dark thought, he had his head in his hand, “Wil, I ask so little of you, if you get me one thing for Christmas, don’t shoot him.”</p><p>    “If he calls you a bitch again I’ll knock his teeth out,” Wilford promised. “You have my word.”</p><p>    Dark made a pained groan, sighing. He looked at Wilford for a second before saying, “Go make some cookies or something.”</p><p>    Wil frowned before he was convinced to put the gun away and started pulling out ingredients for sugar cookies. He pulled out a whole plastic box of cookie stamps and The kids were all looking at him in a mix of apprehension until Bim walked over and let out an excited squeal.</p><p>    “Cookies! Cookies!” Bim cheered and Kay slowly walked over to watch but hesitantly kept back.</p><p>    “Yes, Junior,” Wil smiled. “You want to pick out some shapes?”</p><p>    Then he noticed Kay watching them from the other side of the counter.</p><p>    “Hey there,” Wil smiled encouragingly, “come over here and help my boy, we’ve got plenty of shapes and we’ll have plenty of dough.”</p><p>    Kay shyly and slowly came over and slowly Wil started making cookies but Bim was a bit more excited to decorate and eat cookie dough rather than help make anything. But Kay watched with awe as Wil turned a couple ingredients into dough.</p><p>    The kids had never seen Wil or Dark physically make any food. Dark always procured food from somewhere, the kids never knew where and the fridge was always full.</p><p>    But as they would start to learn with this Christmas, Wilford Motherluvin Warfstache was a connoisseur of all things sweet. He could make magic out of confectioneries, even if he could only manage to not to set everything else on fire.</p><p>    This year was simpler than all his other endeavors, simple sugar cookies. But to Kay they were amazing.</p><p>    During the creation process Dark had taken out a camera and started taking pictures and recording them working on cookies. Arthur got bored quickly, only caring if he could play in the flour or sugar, or even eat more of the popcorn string until he would inevitably get a sugar rush and drive Dark up the wall before dropping to the ground in a sugar coma, complaining of a stomach ache before falling asleep.</p><p>    All of the kids would get to make at least a couple cookies but Kay would stay and slowly as the years went on compiled an actual cookbook of everything they made.</p><p>    But tonight it was just Wilford and Kay and a dozen soon-to-be cookies in front of them.</p><p>    “You’re doing very well,” Wilford praised as Kay stamped out the sugar cookies. Kay’s eyes went huge with pure adoration as he looked up at Wilford.</p><p>    Then soot and ash fell onto the fire and Yan began cheering in delight.</p><p>    “It’s Santa!” She cheered.</p><p>    Wilford stopped dead and ran into the living room. “I’ve got him! I’ve got him!”</p><p>    “Wil!” Dark yelled, leaving the camera still rolling on the counter as he chased after his boyfriend as Wilford was literally bending the gun like he was in a cartoon so it could point up the chimney.</p><p>    From the camera’s position there was a gunshot and it caught a man in red being chased by a rifle wielding Wilford while Dark was chasing after him. There was a lot of screaming and cursing before Dark could finally return and turn the camera off.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Boughs of Holly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eric gets to join Illinois for a chaotic but domestic Christmas at the Manor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>~::~ Present Day ~::~</p><p>    “I don’t get it,” Bim sighed, he was leaning against the side of the armchair that the Host was sitting in. The seer was calmly sitting and sipping on some cinnamon eggnog.</p><p>    The two of them were just facing Eric and Illinois who were sitting just ten feet away on one of the Manor’s living room couches. Illinois was showing him the video Dark had taken of the Lost One’s first Christmas. Where their remaining childhood whimsy for Santa Claus had as many holes in it as Wilford had tried to shoot at the jolly red intruder.</p><p>    Eric was gasping and giggling as he was leaned into Illinois’s side. He’d been nervous coming over, especially since Illinois had convinced him not to wear his mask, promising that Dark already knew who he was and no one would hurt him.</p><p>    “I mean, loo— uhh,” Bim stood himself as he looked over at the Host’s face, “he’s not really his type is he?”</p><p>    “Bim will understand in time,” the Host promised.</p><p>    “Hey,” Illinois tossed a pillow at Bim, “quit talking about him like that.”</p><p>    Illinois turned back to Eric who was holding onto the knees of his pants, not looking at Bim, and worrying at his bottom lip. “Ignore him <em> dulcito, </em> he’s just being an asshole.”</p><p>    Eric didn’t say anything in response or defense, leaning closer to Illinois.</p><p>    Wilford walked in with Dark walking not too far behind him. Dark had a piping hot cup of coffee in his hands.</p><p>    “Where’s Yancy and Yan?” Wilford asked.</p><p>    “Yancy is on the balcony and Yan is in the shower,” Dark answered. He walked over to stand next to the Host.</p><p>    “Well wait for them then,” Wil decided before smiling at Illinois. “Beside it’s time to embarrass Illy in front of his boyfriend.”</p><p>    “Fiancé,” Dark corrected before Illinois could.</p><p>    “Oh, that’s right,” Wilford remembered hazily.</p><p>    “Hah!” Illinois called out. “I don’t have any embarrassing baby pictures, only Bim does, I just have pictures of me as a kid and I was cute as shit.”</p><p>    “You certainly <em> were </em> a piece of shit,” King commented behind his cup of pumpkin spice tea.</p><p>    “Hey,” Illinois bit back. “You just don’t want Dark to pull out the pictures of you <em> “communing with nature” </em> do you?”</p><p>    “I don’t know,” Wilford chuckled, sitting on the couch arm, holding a thick photo album with Illinois’s name on it written in Dark’s handwriting. “Darky and I have quite the collection of each of you.”</p><p>    Illinois looked at the album with trepidation and uncertainty, he couldn’t remember a time when an embarrassing picture of him had been taken but he hadn’t ever seen that photo album either.</p><p>    But he was already watching Wilford pass the album over to Eric who was being encouraged to crack the album open.</p><p>    The first couple pages were ordinary enough, pictures of Illinois, a couple with a tan fedora that was clearly a couple sizes too big for him. Eric just looked at the pictures, making little <em> “awww” </em> noises before turning to a picture of Dark with King and Illinois. Both of the kids looked young. Under ten, young. They were on the little couch, curled up with Dark lying on his back. King was on his chest and Illinois was almost on the side, nestled into the couch. All three of them had their eyes closed but whether they were actually asleep or not, Eric didn’t know. Dark was half-off the couch.</p><p>    There was an audible gasp next to Eric and bother Dark and Illinois asked at the same time, “When was this taken?”</p><p>    “You and the boys were sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t resist taking a picture,” Wilford chuckled.</p><p>    Dark’s mouth furrowed into a thin line.</p><p>    “Y-You’re all, uhm scr-unched up,” Eric smiled at Illinois.</p><p>    “See, not a bad picture in the lot,” Illinois boasted.</p><p>    Wilford had a huge smile on his face and gingerly turned the page over to a picture of Illinois face down in a mud puddle with Author holding him down. The two of them had been wrestling, and Wilford had been behind the camera.</p><p>    Dark let out a horrified gasp, “When was this taken?”</p><p>    “Oh, didn’t I show you?” Wilford asked, confused. “Could have sworn I had.”</p><p>    “Wil,” Dark warned, his ringing almost shrill. “Why am I just learning about this now?”</p><p>    “Illinois and his brother were fine,” the Host tried to calm Dark down. “The argument only slightly got out of hand.”</p><p>    “Really?” Dark demanded in angrily disbelief.</p><p>    Just then King walked in with a big plate of swirled strawberry cheesecake fudge. Wilford lunged for the plate and just stuffed three into his mouth so he couldn’t talk around them.</p><p>    “What the hell, Dad!” King shouted at him, holding the plate away from him and noticing that Dark was glaring at Wil. He rolled his eyes and walked over to hold the plate out to Eric. Eric hesitantly grabbed one first before, and King waited patiently for him to grab one before he took one for himself and set them on the table.</p><p>    “Hey what about me?” Illinois asked.</p><p>    “Get one yourself,” King smiled at him but nudged the plate over a bit so Illinois didn’t have to completely get up from the couch.</p><p>    “We’re not done talking about this,” Dark warned him.</p><p>    “Whff ‘erh ‘ehin,” Wilford mumbled incoherently. What held been trying to say was: <em> “they were fine” </em> but that got completely lost around the three fudge squares in his mouth.</p><p>    Dark looked thoroughly unimpressed, “Don’t choke on your food.”</p><p>    Wilford had a devious look on his face, swallowing around the last fudge square in his mouth.</p><p>    Before the next words could leave Wilford’s mouth, the Host spoke up and distracted him. Yancy and Yan walked back in from different sides of the room. He had to work to move the conversation to the gifts Dark had for them and to food and after a couple hours Wil had completely forgotten his rather inappropriate, for family conversation anyways, as their family Christmas evening continued.</p><p>    Dark would later get a picture of Eric and Illinois sleeping on the couch, Eric cuddled up to Illinois’s side.</p><p>    Then he sent it to Bing. He had used this connection in the past to <em> “anonymously” </em> tip the heroes off to things or to tell them to come pick up their sidekicks. But today he just sent the picture of Eric and Illinois with the text: <em> “He’s a very pleasant boy, I just might keep him.” </em></p><p>    In a couple seconds he got a response, <em> “Dude, you’re lucky I’m in my room and not out in the main room. I have your text set to auto-announce.” </em></p><p> <em> “That is not my fault,” </em> Dark responded, a small smile on his face. <em> “In all seriousness, he seems to be doing well and will be free to go whenever he wants.” </em></p><p> <em> “Thanks,” </em> Bing told him. <em> “Happy holidays, dude.” </em></p><p>    Dark didn’t give another response, pocketing his phone and using his aura to drape a blanket over Illinois and Eric. With a check over them, Dark left them to step into his office, leaving the door open so he could keep an eye on them.</p>
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